BRAINCAKEEffect of Concentration
Increasing the concentration of a reactant in solution increases the rate of reaction.
Concentration is the amount of a substance in a given volume, so a higher concentration means more reactant particles per unit volume (per dm3). The particles are closer together, so they collide more often. The energy of the particles is unchanged, so the proportion of collisions with energy greater than or equal to the activation energy stays the same. However, because there are more collisions per second in total, there are more successful collisions per unit time, and the rate increases.
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Key terms in this lesson
- activation energy
- The minimum energy that colliding particles must have for a reaction to occur.
More in Reaction Rates
- The Rate of Reaction
- Collision Theory
- Activation Energy
- Steric Hindrance
- Effect of Pressure
- Effect of Surface Area
- Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution Curve
- Effect of Temperature
All 12 lessons in Reaction Rates · All Edexcel AS-level Chemistry topics